Chapter 174: Who Is the Mantis Behind the Cicada

The Emperor sat in the seat of honor, with the Empress seated beside him.

The Crown Prince sat in the position directly below the Emperor, his neck wrapped in thick white gauze that no longer showed any trace of blood, though his face was deathly pale.

He was already frail, and now his lips and eyes seemed drained of color, his whole form like a figure sculpted from clay.

And he was young at that.

In short, he looked ghastly, more unsettling than even the Emperor himself. Those present averted their eyes, not daring to look at him for long.

"Lucky for him, he was born from the Empress's womb and became the legitimate heir. Otherwise, the position of heir apparent would never have fallen to him," someone muttered inwardly.

No wonder the Emperor had hesitated for so many years, refusing to name him.

Grand Preceptor Guo's power behind him was too formidable; the Emperor had to compromise, yet he also promoted men like Zhou Yuanshen to chip away at Grand Preceptor Guo's authority.

The court was like a small boat adrift in a storm, and those within it felt the sway; even onlookers could sense the turbulence.

Everyone feared for their own safety.

Men and women stood apart, on the left and right respectively. This was not a formal court session, yet the solemn atmosphere was no less stifling; few dared to breathe too loudly.

"Liu Zheng is dead," the Emperor spoke first.

Liu Zheng, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, was dead.

When someone dies, it should normally fall to the Chief Justice to investigate the case.

Now it was the Junior Chief Justice, Pei Yanhe, who stepped forward.

Liu Zheng was a protégé of the Dou clan of Piguo Duke's manor; his loyalty lay not with the Emperor, but with the Dou family. And Pei Yanhe also had the backing of the Pei clan, which was no small force.

"Your Majesty, the arrow that struck Lord Liu was a Geng-metal arrow," said the Junior Chief Justice.

At this hunt, every arrow bore a mark, indicated by the heavenly stems and earthly branches; whoever drew arrows had them recorded under their own name, to determine to whom the game belonged.

The arrow markings used a unique pattern reserved for the imperial household, and this time they had been improved so they could not be imitated in a short time.

After the Junior Chief Justice spoke, without waiting for the Emperor to ask, he continued: "The Geng-metal arrow was drawn by Grand Tutor Zhou Yuanshen."

Dead silence fell.

Second Madam raised her head. She looked first at the Emperor, then at her own son, and her expression changed involuntarily.

No wonder Zhou Yuanshen had warned them not to take any bows and arrows.

Whatever scheme this was, the moment you took an arrow, it could be used against you—used to kill.

Better to avoid the trouble entirely; best not to take any at all.

Second Madam had taken arrows later herself, but she had used them all to save the Crown Prince. She had not fallen into the trap—so how had her son walked right into it?

No one spoke.

Liu Zheng's wife and daughter had long since cried themselves senseless; the mother and daughter huddled together like drenched quails, their earlier arrogance and insolence gone, standing at the back.

"Zhou Yuanshen killed my father," Miss Liu said through sobs. "I beg Your Majesty to see justice done, to avenge my father and make Zhou Yuanshen pay with his blood."

Zhou Yuanshen stood silently, his face expressionless.

He had already changed into fresh clothes, his shoulder wound bandaged. He had lost a great deal of blood, and his face was pale too.

That paleness made him seem somewhat guilty.

The court officials seemed to understand. Zhou Yuanshen had no personal grudge against Liu Zheng; he was merely acting as the Emperor's blade.

But to act so openly—he would still need to figure out how to close the matter.

"When Liu Zheng was struck by the arrow, my horse was also struck by an arrow," the Emperor said.

The Junior Chief Justice had clearly already investigated everything thoroughly and reported: "Yes, Your Majesty. Your horse was also struck in the left leg by a Geng-metal arrow."

The Emperor smiled.

The smile was rather hearty.

He said: "Now that is rather amusing."

He glanced at the recording clerk nearby.

Even at a hunt, the Emperor was always accompanied by his officials and a clerk.

The clerk stepped forward and said to the Junior Chief Justice: "Lord Pei, before entering the hunting grounds today, Your Majesty exchanged arrows with Grand Tutor Zhou."

A stir rippled through the crowd.

Whispers broke out all around.

"I took the Geng-metal arrow. By Junior Justice Pei's reasoning, it was I who shot Liu Zheng, and then wounded my own mount?" the Emperor asked.

Pei Yanhe had not anticipated this turn. He fell to his knees at once: "This subject is guilty! I was remiss in my investigation and have besmirched Your Majesty's ears."

"My dear ministers, if I was seated on my horse, how could I have shot Liu Zheng and also struck my own horse?" the Emperor pressed.

He then addressed another official: "Lord Hu, you were at my side the entire time, were you not?"

There were always several veteran ministers around him.

The summoned Lord Hu stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this minister never left your side even for a step. Your Majesty's horse was wounded by a concealed arrow."

"And Liu Zheng?"

"Naturally, Lord Liu was also struck by a concealed arrow. The spy we captured earlier must have accomplices," said Lord Hu.

The Emperor gave a cold laugh.

The Junior Chief Justice hastily said: "Lord Hu speaks with reason. With a single bow and a single quiver of arrows, it appears someone plotted this for a long time—they wanted not only to assassinate Lord Liu but also to attempt regicide, and pin the blame on Grand Tutor Zhou."

And so, Zhou Yuanshen's suspicion was cleared.

Cheng Zhao glanced at Zhou Yuanshen.

He remained expressionless.

He had not defended himself; his father and his young maternal uncle also stood silent.

Anyone could see how Liu Zheng had truly died.

"Your Majesty, the spy has revealed that he does indeed have an accomplice. Furthermore, a wolf's head was tattooed on his left shoulder," the Prince of Andong stepped forward and said to the Emperor.

By now the Emperor had a raging headache, and his temper was on the verge of murderous fury.

But he had to endure.

He said: "So the spy has revealed his accomplice's identity?"

"He would only tell Your Majesty, and refused to speak to the guards. Even beaten to death, he would not talk," said Helian Xuan.

The Emperor shot a look at Helian Xuan: "I entrusted this matter to you, and you did not handle it well."

Helian Xuan lowered his gaze: "Your Majesty, forgive this subject."

"Bring the spy up. He is no doubt responsible for shooting Liu Zheng," said the Emperor.

The Junior Chief Justice hastily said: "Your Majesty is most wise."

The spy was brought before them.

He did not speak the official language well, and said he barely knew his accomplice—the two had met only a few times.

However, his accomplice also had a wolf's head tattooed on his left shoulder. He might have destroyed it by now, but the mark of such a tattoo is hard to erase.

The Emperor rubbed his brow: "Search everyone. The women are to go behind the screen and be checked one by one as well."

The crowd was stricken with alarm.

But no one dared plead for mercy; they each went to disrobe.

The search went on for the better part of an hour, and came up empty—no one had a tattoo on their shoulder.

"...It is only Grand Tutor Zhou's shoulder that is wounded, mauled bloody by the white wolf, so no trace can be seen anymore," said the Junior Chief Justice who conducted the examination.

"Then pray to Heaven to turn back time, so you can go back and look at Grand Tutor Zhou's uninjured shoulder instead," said the Emperor.

The Junior Chief Justice fell to his knees in haste: "This subject would never dare!"

The Emperor looked at this one, then at that one.

He said to Zhou Yuanshen: "Step forward, Grand Tutor Zhou, let me see your wound."

Zhou Yuanshen walked up to the Emperor.

Four guards surrounded them, shielding them from view.

Zhou Yuanshen's bandage was unwrapped and the wound exposed for the Emperor to see.

The Emperor looked for a few moments and said flatly: "There is no tattoo. But this wound is quite severe."

Zhou Yuanshen dressed and stepped back.

He bowed in salute: "Though this subject is wounded, I congratulate Your Majesty on obtaining two white wolf tails."

The Emperor could not help but laugh with pleasure: "Two white wolf tails—that is certainly cause for celebration."

One official seized the moment to say: "Your Majesty is without equal in a thousand years, and Heaven has seen fit to send a pair of twin white wolf tails."

"The male wolf was killed by Second Madam Zhou, and the female wolf by Grand Tutor Zhou. The two of you, mother and son, were both wounded in the endeavor—a service of no small merit," said the Emperor.

The Crown Prince, seated below, rose to his feet, supporting his frail frame, and bowed to the Emperor: "Father, I beg you to richly reward Second Madam Zhou—she saved your son's life."

"It is a good thing that you know gratitude," said the Emperor.

He pondered for a moment. "I hereby confer upon Second Madam Zhou, née Fan, the title of 'First-Class Guardian Lady of the Realm.' As for Grand Tutor Zhou, I no longer know what more I could possibly bestow upon him."

After a pause, he continued, "And what of that enchantingly beautiful songstress? Bring her forth—I shall grant her to Grand Tutor Zhou as a gift."